Religious leaders find ways to reach out

Published in the Bennington Banner on May 4, 2009

MARK E. RONDEAU
Staff Writer

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series about Vermonters and their religions identifications, or lack of them.

BENNINGTON — Traditional organized religion seems to be losing its grip on a large percentage of Americans, and Vermont seems to be a prime example.

Yet, local clergy have plenty of ideas on how to respond. "I don't think religion's going anywhere," said Rabbi Joshua Boettiger of Congregation Beth El in Bennington.

In the recent American Religious Identification Survey done by Trinity College, Americans who state no religious preference, or identify themselves as atheist or agnostic, have grown from 8.2 percent of the population in 1990 to 14.1 percent in 2001 to 15 percent in 2008.

In Vermont, those identifying no religious affiliation rose from 13 to 34 percent between 1990 and 2008. This is the highest percentage in the U.S.

Both local and national clergy commented on this trend.

Boettiger said he has reservations about the idea that religion has to do a better job of marketing.

"I'm a little reluctant about this, because everything is a commodity now, and I don't like to think that we need to sell religion and that it's a spiritual marketplace," he said. "But I think at root it is up to us as spiritual leaders and the community leadership to really
articulate why people should come on Sunday morning or Saturday morning, in our case. And how what we're doing here actually speaks to people's real lives, on the ground, in a daily way."

Boettiger said he feels that much of his work is to teach "Judaism as really a path that can work."

"And when I say 'work,' I mean can really help people navigate life, give them community and give them a text and a tradition to wrestle with," he said. "You don't always have to believe it or buy into it. It's not about 'there's a dogma, and subscribe this way.' It's more
we're giving you a chance to really wrestle. And so I feel that's the work we have to do."

Boettiger noted that Vermonters are independent and perhaps have a rebellious side.

"But I think religion has to find a way to make rebellion sacred, that religion should be countercultural," Boettiger said. "Religion works if we can bring our full selves to it, not just kind of our good selves. And I think that we need to do a better job of kind of welcoming the whole self, I mean the people who we serve, to synagogue."

Congregation Beth El for more than a year has tried this through its Green Mountain Shabbats, which offer more ways for people to access Judaism, from Torah Yoga to Scripture discussion to Klezmer music to special activities for children.

The Rev. Jerrod Hugenot, coordinating minister at First Baptist Church in Bennington, spent a year studying in England during his seminary training. He saw there results of a steep decline in people's adherence to mainstream Christian denominations.

"One of the things that I learned in England that I will be evangelical about over here is that churches don't need to have control of the culture, the politics and the ideas of the day to have relevance," he said. "Dialogue, interfaith cooperation, a bit of humility will do some of our Christian movements a world of good. And I would say if you're going to make a difference in Vermont, those are some building blocks you need."

The Rev. Anita Schell-Lambert, rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Bennington, said that people want to belong before they believe.

"We often care less about beliefs rather than being a part of something," she said. "Far fewer people are concerned about what we're teaching than the fact that they're welcome."

She was not taking a position on whether this attitude was good or bad, but she has observed it and much has been written about it.

The Rev. Mary Lee-Clark, pastor of Second Congregational Church, in Bennington, said the survey highlights a "birthing" time right now for the church.

The challenge is to "find new forms and methods and media in which to carry and pass on the treasure or 'good news' we have. I think human beings are spiritual beings, and religion gives vocabulary and structure for that spirituality.

"It's just that the vocabulary, for many people, of much of religious tradition no longer has the meaning or power it did to former generations, nor do many of the structures or forms fit in with the shape of people's lives today," Lee-Clark said. "It's a painful time because the old vocabulary and forms still have tremendous meaning and power for some people, who understandably don't want to lose that, and the new forms and vocabulary have not fully emerged or matured."

She added, "Flexibility and openness are required by all."

The Rev. Thomas J. Reese, an internationally known Roman Catholic journalist and commentator connected the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, noted in an interview that one in four Catholics born in the U.S. have left the church.

He said that the church is trying to preach the Gospel to 21st century Catholics using a 13th century vocabulary. He wishes that the church hierarchy would try experiments in ministry to reach out to people and allow theologians more leeway to be creative in how they explore and explain the faith.

Though the Catholic Church has spoken much about evangelization in recent years, "it doesn't have a clue" how to do it. One way would to simply become more welcoming, Reese said, noting that evangelical churches do a much better job of this than Catholics.

Putting a twist a familiar saying about religion, Reese said that "all church-going is local." In other words, if Catholics have a good pastor, the church will be crowded at Mass.

Yet, Reese spoke of a fellow priest from the Philippines who wanted to find a Catholic program in the U.S. on how to become a good pastor. Such a program would teach how to organize and run a parish and collaborate with lay people. There was no such Catholic program, so the priest attended a program run by the Presbyterian church.

As for any effective action from the church to turn current trends around, "I don't think it's going to happen for a while," Reese said.

Catholic laypeople in the U.S. need to step up to the extent possible to bring into being programs they want to see. There are fewer and fewer priests with too much on their plates.

"Frankly, it's become a do-it-yourself church," Reese said. "You've got to take it over to make it happen."

 

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